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Hollywood Casino Columbus reached the $20 million mark in revenue in November, the Las
Vegas-style casino’s first full month of operation.

Some of the gain came at the expense of the racino at Scioto Downs, where revenue dipped below
$10 million for the first time since it opened in June.

“A lot of people are leaving the racetrack casino to go to Hollywood. That’s to be expected,”
said Bill Eadington, director of the University of Nevada-Reno’s Institute for the Study of
Gambling and Commercial Gaming.Scioto Downs’ revenue was $9.8 million in November, down from $10.3
million in October, according to the Ohio Lottery Commission. Revenue at the racino peaked at $13.3
million in September and has dropped since Hollywood Columbus opened.The hoopla surrounding the
opening of the casino and the availability of table games and poker at the more-upscale Hollywood
Casino make it attractive, Eadington said.

The $20 million taken in last month was up from $18.3 million in October, according to the Ohio
Casino Control Commission.

Hollywood Columbus was open for 24 days in October, having opened on Oct. 8, and for all 30 days
in November. On a per-day basis, revenue was actually less in November than the previous month.

“It’s the start of the holiday season. People are out shopping, and gambling goes to the back
burner,” said Alan Silver, a professor at Ohio University’s College of Education and Human Services
and a former casino executive.

November and December are traditionally slow months in the gambling industry. “Then it kicks up
again for New Year’s Eve,” Silver said. “So the real test (for Hollywood Columbus and Scioto Downs)
will be how they do New Year’s Eve and the months after.”

The payout rate — or the percentage of money bet that is returned to players — was 91.9 percent
at the 2,117 slot machines at Scioto Downs and 90.7 percent at the 3,015 slots at Hollywood
Columbus, according to the two commissions.

The payout rate on 108 table games at Hollywood Columbus was 77 percent, down from 80.8 percent
in October.

The cumulative payout rate for table games at the state’s three casinos is 82.3 percent, which
is low by industry standards, Eadington said; it’s about 5 percentage points higher in Las Vegas,
he said.

“There could be a number of factors for that, but it’s hard to say exactly why,” he said.He
listed the skill level of players in a new casino market such as Columbus as a possible
explanation. “In blackjack, for example, new players may not know when to hit or stand,” Eadington
said.

Revenue at Horseshoe Casino Cleveland was $20.5 million in November, down from $20.8 million in
October. Hollywood Casino Toledo’s November total was $13.6 million, down from $14.8 million the
previous month.

The casinos keep 67 percent of the monthly revenue total and pay the other 33 percent in tax to
the state. The state’s share goes to counties, cities, schools, the Ohio State Racing Commission
and other entities.

Revenue from the three Ohio casinos was $54.1 million in November, with $17.9 million going to
the state.

Scioto Downs keeps 66.5 percent of its monthly revenue, with 33.5 percent — or $3.3 million in
November — going to the lottery commission to fund state education programs.